Yves Saint Laurent - The French Fashion God

Yves Saint Laurent

His death in 2008 hit the whole fashion world. He
was one of those whose work will be never forgotten – especially by women
because he managed to brake the rules and made every woman look sexy
and confident. Yves Henri Donat Mathieu Saint Laurent
was born in Algeria in 1936. His amazing talent was acknowledged in the
international wool contest for which he had designed a cocktail dress. Hardly
did he know that the first prize would send him directly to the
Dior fashion house. He moved to Paris and became a
Dior’s assistant. In 1957 Dior left for holiday but never returned back.
Yves was the only (and as shown later the best) solution to
save the company. He was named a Christian Dior's successor, at the age of only
21. His successful career started immediately.

His breath taking style was shown in his first
collection that was named Ligne Trapéze. The trapeze
dress brought feminity into fashion – its narrow
shoulders and a wide skirt were adored by every woman. This
collection was a kind of revolution after many years of conservative and formal
fashion.

In 1960 he was called up to do the military
service. This experience broke his mind for long. After twenty days of
humiliation and bullying he was given a medical discharge. After returning from
the service in 1962, he started his cooperation with Pierre Bergé, who
later became his best friend and lover. Together they introduced the legendary
smoking suit. The timeless design of his smokings has endured
till today and will surely inspire many future designers. Yves
was the first to launch many other iconic designs such as the safari
style, transparent fabrics, platform sandals and the very
first conical bra (yes, it was not John Paul Gaultier).

Safari Style

Every designer needs a bit of inspiration
and Yves was not an exception. His love for art and travelling
is reflected in all his clothes. Piet Mondrian, the Dutch painter,
inspired him in 1965 to make an amazing collection.

Try to guess: Who was the first one to hire black
models to catwalk? Yves, of course. He discovered Naomi
Campbell – “I owe him everything,” she said after his
funeral. She was his muse for the collection Fall 2008. Another muse of his
life was a French actor Catherine Deneuve, who inspired him until his
retirement in 2002. She became a model for the skincare line in 1992 and is
considered to be the most important woman of his life.

Amazing Handbags

Shoes

Accessories

Cosmetics

Perfumes

The YSL fashion house has
introduced so many perfumes until now that a man does not know which
one is better.

The latest one is called Elle Edition
Collector that includes notes of grapefruit, Sambac jasmine, pink pepper,
benzion and amber.